You Need A New Dream (A CS Tangled AU fic)
by its-about-bloody-time
Summary: Sent through an enchanted wardrobe to another world, Emma grows up with Cora, a foster mother determined to keep Emma secluded so that her powerful magic can be used for Cora's own purposes. But when a pirate on the run hops through a portal and discovers a tall tower and a guarded, lonely woman at the top, will he be able to help her find the new dream she so desperately needs?


A/N: Regrettably, I don't own OUAT, Tangled, or any of the characters. But if someone wants to buy me the rights to any or all of these things for my birthday, suffice to say that I will be quite appreciative.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, a princess was born. She wasn't any ordinary princess; this princess, Emma, was the child of Snow White and Prince Charming of the Enchanted Forest, making her the product of true love. That definitely came with some perks. But you see, there was a catch. At the time of Emma's birth, a curse was cast by Regina the Evil Queen, and Emma, having the power to break that curse, had to be sent away in order to avoid its effects. They sent her away in a magical wardrobe to a land they knew not where, and they hoped that as prophesized, on her 28th birthday, she would find them.

This is the story of how she did.

_Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. _

From where she sat in her four-poster bed, Emma glared evenly at her mother. Cora stood in the doorway of her daughter's bedchamber, and with a swish of her hand she slid the bolts on the outside of Emma's windows closed. To Emma, they sounded like nails in a coffin. To Cora, they sounded like protection.

"Sleep well, darling." Cora said as she stepped towards her daughter's bed. Emma said nothing, just glowered. Cora slightly raised one eyebrow and stared back. Finally, Emma sighed. "Goodnight, mother."

"Oh, Emma. You know I'm doing this for your own good, right, dearest?"

"Hm."

"Emma, darling. I'm doing this to protect you. Do you remember what happened last ti-"

"Yes." Emma's lip momentarily twitched into a grimace. As if she could forget.

"Then you should know that however you choose to see this, I'm really doing this to protect you. I'm your mother, dear. I want what's best for you. It's a dangerous world out there, full of thieves out to take your gift, and I don't want you to get hurt again."

"Mmm."

"Just trust me, love. Mother knows best, truly."

Emma looked at her mother ruefully, and then rolled over. "Okay. G'night."

Cora turned away from the bed and smiled. Over her shoulder as she walked out of her daughter's room, she said once more, "Goodniiiight, Emma."

She was met with silence. But so be it.

Once her mother was out of her room and her bedchamber door was safely closed, Emma silently slid out of bed and crept over to her window. She knew it was futile to try to break the bolts; so long as Cora had her, Cora's magic was strong enough to contain her. Emma had tried everything before, beating the hinges, the bolts, and the wood itself until her arms were bruised and her fingers bled. It was no use. With a sigh, Emma sat and rested her forearms on the windowsill. Through the wooden slats, she could catch glimpses of the night sky, an inky velvet overhead glittering with an untold number of stars.

The world out there was so impossibly vast. She knew that now. And out there, somewhere, was her son. Henry. She had to get back to him. He was all she had left to hope for. His father… Neal… Her brow creased and she bit her lower lip. He was out there somewhere too. And though it had been almost ten years since she'd last seen him, since he'd sold her out, sold her back into the life she hated, the pain of his betrayal still felt fresh on nights like this.

She was miserable here, that much she knew. But she had to stay strong, if not for herself then for her son. Henry was out there somewhere, and she _would_ find him. Blinking back tears, she looked out at the stars.

And, from that great distance, they almost looked like lanterns.

Back in her chambers, Cora slid the curtain away from her mirror and smiled. In it, she saw not herself reflected back to her... Well, actually she did, in a sense. Regina was all grown up now, and watching her daughter fight to rule the kingdom and take the power she rightfully deserved warmed Cora's heart. Despite Cora's soft spot for her foster daughter Emma, Regina was her true daughter, and despite the moment of weakness in which Regina had pushed Cora through the looking glass to this infernal realm, Cora was proud of her.

The witch cast a glance back towards her adopted daughter's chambers. She was no fool; she knew who she had in her grasp. The Savior, the product of the true love (Cora had kept an eye on Snow and Charming through her mirror), and the only one powerful enough to break the curse Regina was planning to attempt again. Emma, of course, knew nothing of this. All she knew was that for the last 27 years, her mother had kept her close because her magic helped her mother's magic.

Cora hated being dependent on her foster daughter like this, but it was the unhappy truth. Regina, in that moment of banishment, had wanted to weaken her mother, and unfortunately, she had succeeded. Magic now was a drain for Cora, taking her vitality with it every time she cast a spell. But in finding the Savior as a baby, still swaddled in the blanket Cora had watched Snow wrap around Emma before placing her in the wardrobe, Cora had found the equivalent of a magical generator. And she would protect it with her life. She would get her power back. She would break through, back to her home, back to her real daughter. And she would make Regina need her once more.

"Well, lads, it's been a great chat." The pirate's voice echoed in the silent hall. This was the room that, for the last 28 years, had been at the heart of the kingdom of King Charming and Queen Snow. And here he stood. Well… Not really stood, more of a "dangled", holding himself upright with his foot in a loop of the rope which led out through the skylight. But Captain Hook of the good ship Jolly Roger was really in no rush. He hung there, holding the rope in his hand and casually pondering the glimmering tiara dangling from his hook.

"Thanks." Mumbled Dopey, and then his eyes grew large. The seven dwarves, who had been standing guard with their backs to the podium, whirled around. But they were too late; the pirate was clambering up and out of the skylight before Grumpy raised the alarm.

On the roof, Hook patted his first mate on the back. "Well done, Smee."

"Thank'ee, Captain." Hook smirked, and Smee slowly smiled back, and then the two men were on the run. They leapt over parapets and skidded over roof tiles, they scaled walls and climbed ladders and jumped over the gaps between buildings until they reached the bridge where they'd tethered the horses. Hook leapt easily into the saddle of his horse, and Smee followed suit, and they were off. In the street below, they could hear the seven dwarves charging and yelling.

The streets soon merged through the market square, and people jumped out of the way as Killian and Smee barreled over the cobblestones. Close behind them were the handful of dwarves, now also on horses of their own. But the pirates raced ahead, out of town, over the bridge, and along the path into the forest. Soon, they steered off the path, hoping to avoid their pursuers, but the dwarves were closer than the pirates had expected and they didn't take the bait. Instead, both parties hurtled through the underbrush, where their sides were whipped by branches and slapped by leaves, and twigs grabbed at whatever they could of the pirates and the pursuers.

They were deep into the forest now, and the trees grew closer and closer together. Killian, although plenty comfortable in the saddle, longed for his ship. But soon, he would be back onboard and soon, once he delivered the tiara to the highest bidder, he could be on his way after the Crocodile, with coins in his pocket to spare.

Killian was grinning, and he urged his horse even faster, when from behind him he heard a startled yelp. Over his shoulder, he saw that Smee's hat had become entangled in the low-hanging branches of a tree, and coming up behind him, too quick for the first mate to escape, were the dwarves.

"CAPTAIN!" cried Smee as he struggled to free himself, but Killian looked directly ahead and kept riding.

He heard the yells behind him grow fainter as several of the dwarves apprehended Smee, but to Hook's chagrin, there were still hooves pounding behind him. He looked over his shoulder, and there was the dwarf who had raised the alarm. Killian groaned. Would this one never quit? And now, he could tell that his horse was tiring. They'd been going at a dead sprint for quite a distance now, and the dwarf was gaining on him as his own horse's energy flagged. Hook's mind raced. He knew he only had one escape, but he was so loath to use it; that magic bean was for him to get to his crocodile, and to use it for anything other than that seemed practically criminal to him. But on the other hand, he was wanted for many things, and adding the theft of the most precious treasure in the kingdom to that litany of charges spelled more trouble than he could afford. The dwarf was now barely a few yards behind him, and so, with a sigh, Killian removed his hand from the reigns and fumbled in his vest pocket for the glassy bean. Looking behind him and leering at the dwarf, he tossed it a few yards in front of his horse, vaulted out of the saddle, and somersaulted midair to gracefully dive into the swirling smoke of the portal.

As the pirate disappeared, Grumpy pulled his horse to a skidding halt and jumped to the ground. He silenced the guilty voice in the back of his mind, which was whispering something about how the drinking on the job really needed to stop, and gritted his teeth. Pulling his pickaxe behind him, he ran towards the portal. Looking down into the vortex, he felt determination settle over him and he slung his axe over his shoulder. "Off to work we go," he grumbled, and he jumped after his quarry into the swirl.

"So, Emma." The two women sat in silence over lunch. Emma looked up from her eggs but didn't say anything. "Your birthday is coming up. Anything in particular you'd like?"

Emma still didn't say a thing.

"Paints? Books? Fabric for a few new dresses?"

Emma's brain screamed _I just don't want to be alone_, but she just mumbled something noncommittal. Her face betrayed nothing, and Cora was perplexed. When had her daughter become so inscrutable?

"Well, I'm sure I'll be able to whip something up." Cora smiled wanly.

" Mmmhm." Emma took one last bite of her toast and pushed her chair back. "May I be excused?"

Without waiting for an answer, she stood and walked away from the table. Upstairs, Cora heard the door to her daughter's room close. She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples. A simple warming spell to make breakfast had given her a headache. She desperately wanted a nap. She was losing her touch, she feared, and so the sooner she could get home, the better. She needed her powers back, Cora thought as sleep crept upon her. Her heart felt empty without them.

Upstairs, Emma leaned against the door of her studio and waited for the bile in her throat to sink. Each day with Cora was more sickening than the last. With a huff and a long string of muttered curses, Emma untied the back of her dress and slipped out of it. The long, silken thing was ungainly and uncomfortable, and even though Cora had always had a peculiar hatred of riding clothes, Emma had gotten a leather coat and some slim pants for her birthday last year as a result of all her complaining. She slid into these now, tucking in her chemise like a shirt and wrapping the long coat tightly around her. From the other room, she heard Cora's snores.

Before, she would have thought that this was the perfect opportunity to escape. But now, she knew better. She'd tried everything, and her frustration at the futility of escape burned brightly now within her. But since it was daylight, her windows were unbolted, and Emma thrust them violently open. The fresh air was the closest thing to an escape she could get. She went over to her bookshelf and grabbed a well-worn novel, but walking back to sit on the wide stone windowsill, she saw something that stopped her. In a panic, she darted back to her bookshelf, replaced the book, and crept back to the side of the window, her back pressed tightly against the wall. Emma's stomach dropped as she peered out, and her heart pounded loudly.

For, wandering into their secluded clearing, was a man.

"Are you _serious?"_

Falling through the portal, Hook had hit the ground running. His satchel snug against his back and the fresh air of the new forest in his lungs, he felt energized, and as he took off through the forest and heard a thud and a grunt behind him, he knew that he'd been right not to dawdle. The dwarf had followed him through the portal, but luckily, it was only the one. As he heard his adversary start to run behind him, Hook pushed harder and dashed through the trees. He could handle one dwarf, should it come to that. He ran and ran, and seeing a sheer face of rock covered by long dangling vines, made a break for this hiding spot. The pirate slid under the cover of the vines , and was perfectly concealed by the time that the angry dwarf ran past. Hook made no sound; he held his breath until the dwarf was long gone, and then turning around to pick up his satchel, he saw something behind him that surprised him. A tunnel.

Hook shouldered the satchel, and, with one last look back at the curtain of leaves, put one hand against the tunnel wall and began to walk. It was a short walk, with sunlight streaming out the end, and to his surprise, Hook emerged, blinking in the bright sunlight, in a beautiful clearing. It was empty, save for a large stone tower, nearly covered by vines of the same sort that had shielded him from the dwarf's view.

"Hello!" he shouted. "Is anyone there?" There came no reply. He smiled. It was abandoned, and the perfect, secure place in which to pass the night and regroup, and there was no chance of the dwarf, or anyone else for that matter, finding him here. The lost boy in his heart was elated by the discovery of this new hideout. So, shifting his satchel on his back and with his trademark smirk on his face, Hook approached the base of the tower, tugged gently at the vines with his hook, and then began to climb.


End file.
